Vanilla Shakeology Oatmeal Pancakes w/ Banana Honey Greek Sauce

Recipe adapted from lovetoliv.

Yields: 4 pancakes

Combine all the ingredients in a blender and mix well.

1 serving of Vanilla Shakeology
1/2 cup instant oatmeal
3 tbsp unsweetened almond milk
2 egg white
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 banana

Heat the pan on high then reduce the heat to medium-low. Use a 1/4 measuring cup to scoop up the batter and place it onto the pan. Flip the pancakes a couple of times so that it doesn't get too brown.

Place all ingredients in a blender and combine. Use the rest of the banana on top of the pancake.

4 tbsp plain Greek yogurt
1/4 banana
1 tsp honey (or other sweeteners)

Note: You can eliminate the oatmeal or put less if you want your pancakes to be less calories. Without oatmeal, you can just use 1 egg white.

Without oatmeal, the pancakes are 348 calories.

You can also save two pancakes for later or share :)

Source: Calorie Count

Brown Rice Spam Musubi

Every once in a while, I get this craving for spam musubi. I don't feel good about eating a large amount of brown rice so I asked my boyfriend to make a brown rice version. I know it still isn't that healthy to eat spam musubi. When I really want to eat spam musubi though, I would rather have brown rice. Spam musubi is probably the only thing my boyfriend actually knows how to cook so I gave this project to him. He is the one who made the brown rice spam musubi in these pictures. It was really delicious! Good thing he doesn't cook much so we only eat this once in a while :)

I used hot & spicy spam. You can use any brand or flavor of spam you want. You can even use meat that you have cooked at home.

Rice vinegar: 

Recipe adapted from singleguychef.

Yields: 6-7 spam musubi (depending on thickness of spam)

Appliance and cookware used: rice cooker and spam musubi maker

First, add rice into a rice cooker pot then add 4 1/2 cups of drinking water. Cook the rice for about 90 mins in a rice cooker; brown rice will turn out best if there is a setting for brown rice on the rice cooker.

2 cups brown rice

4 1/2 cups of water

Next: You will have to cook the spam on a skillet. I would suggest waiting until the rice is almost done to cook the spam. 

Slice the spam into about 6-7 slice pieces while you are waiting for the rice; set aside

When the rice is almost ready, heat the pan on high. Once the pan is hot, turn the heat to medium. No oil is needed to cook the spam. Cook both sides of the sliced spam until brown.

1 can of spam of choice

Add rice vinegar into brown rice right after the rice is ready. You must add the vinegar into the rice while it is warm. Avoid using a metal bowl to mix the rice vinegar with the brown rice (the vinegar might react with the metal).

2 tbsp rice vinegar

Assemble your spam musubi using a spam musubi maker.

3-4 half sheets of nori cut in half

Here is a video to help you assemble the spam musubi if you do not have a spam musubi maker; CLICK HERE.

Place 1 half sheet of nori (cut in half) on a cutting board, the place the spam musubi making on top of the nori. Add rice into the spam musubi maker. 

Place the spam on top of the rice. 

Add another layer of rice on top of the spam.

Remove the spam musubi maker then use a small amount of water to "glue" the nori together.

Here is the final product :)

Calories may vary depending on the type of meat used. 

Source: Calorie Count

Grab n Go Breakfast Egg Muffins

Ever since I found this recipe, I have been dying to try it!! I made a little changes to the original recipe by adding chicken and using spinach. This is basically like an omelette but in muffin form!! I made this in the even for mornings when I don't have time to eat breakfast. I couldn't help it... I had to try the recipe right away! Feel free to add your own ingredients like I did and for other ideas visit blogilates. Her website has a ton of work out videos, recipes and even clothes!!! I am truly inspired by her :)

Below are all the ingredients I used for my egg muffins. 

Recipe adapted from blogilates.

1/2 red bell pepper

1 1/2 roma tomatoes

Handful of spinach

1/4 chicken breast, diced

3 whole eggs + 2 cups of egg whites

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. 

Dice up all the vegetables and chop up the spinach. Also dice the chicken into small pieces. Mix the egg whites and whole eggs together. 

Line muffin tin with liners and spray oil using pam or misto - be sure to put oil or the egg will stick to the liner. Place 1 tablespoon of egg mixture into the liner then add vegetables and chicken. After, add about 4 tablespoon of egg mixture into the liners; total of 5 tablespoons of egg mixture per liner. 

Bake for about 20-30 minutes. The egg muffins should be firm on top when ready.

You can take your muffin on the go or eat with sriracha, ketchup, or even salsa! I ate mine with Trader Joe's sriracha and it was AH-MAZING!!

The nutritional facts for 1 muffin is about 45 calories. 

All 12 muffins: ~512 calories. 

Source: Calorie Count

Chocolate Banana Shakeology Smoothie

I usually make a smoothie when I need a quick grab on the go or when I just need a boost of healthy! When I feel like I don't get enough vegetables or that I have eaten too many bad meals, I make a smoothie! A shakeology smoothie and sometimes a mix of fruits, veggies, and chia seeds. I also drink a smoothie when I don't feel like cooking. Sometimes it's just one of those days where you're really hungry and tired and you just wanna fill your stomach up!!

I will be sure to make a post about my fruit and vegetable smoothie another time! :)

Yields: 1 serving

Appliances used: Ninja blender (you can use any blender you have in handy)

Pour water into the blender cup. Cut half of a banana and pinch pieces into the cup. Pour 1 scoop of Shakeology into the blender cup. Blend together until combine.

~1/4 cups water
1/2 banana
1 scoop Chocolate Shakeology

Add ice into the cup leaving room for the blender to work. You must put enough ice so that your drink becomes smoothie-like.

~1.5 cups of ice

Blend your smoothie until well-combined and enjoy :)

Your smoothie should look like the picture below. 

This taste exactly like a chocolate milkshake (but healthier of course)!!! I'm in loveeee!!~ Hahaha..

Amazing amount of nutrition in one little cup! :) Easy and healthy meal as well.

Source: Calorie Counter

Fluffy Wheat Oatmeal Pancakes

I love pancakes. I decided to make another pancake alternative! It never hurts to have different recipes to fall back on :) 

Recipe adapted from Diane, A Broad.

Yields: 5 pancakes

Place the egg, almond milk, olive oil, sugar and vanilla extract into a large bowl.

1 egg
1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 tbsps olive oil
2 tbsps sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whisk ingredients to combine.

Place instant oatmeal into a blender. Blend until the oatmeal is grounded.

1/2 cup instant oatmeal

Place oatmeal, flour, baking soda and salt into the mixture.

1/2 cup wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
a pinch salt

Combine mixture with a whisk. The mixture should look like the picture below. If the mixture is too thick, add a little more milk.

Heat a skillet on high and wait for the pan to warm up then turn the heat to medium-low to cook the pancakes. Drizzle some olive oil onto the skillet and spread it around the pan. Use a 1/4 measuring cup to scoop the pancake batter and place the mixture onto the pan.

Wait until the edges of the pancakes pop up and the surface of the pancake bubbles; flip the pancake and cook the other side.

Enjoy your pancakes with fruits, nut butters or any type of syrup. I used bananas and agave nectar in the picture below. :)

Brown Rice Chicken Congee

I love congee especially the congee my aunt makes. Congee = a lot of white rice which is why I never eat it. I decided I needed to make a healthy alternative. I mean.. it's still carbs but at least I can eat congee and not feel as guilty :) I never made congee using brown rice and I think this year was the first time I ever even made congee. I make all these complicated desserts and food but yet I have never made congee. So today I went on a mission to make my boyfriend's favorite chicken congee but with brown rice instead.

I used the homemade chicken broth that my aunt made since she had extra. I also made some changes to my aunt's chicken congee to give the brown rice congee a twist.

Yields: ~4 servings

First, wash the brown rice in water and drain then repeat a couple of times. Add water to the brown rice and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook; remember to stir occasionally so the rice doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot. After an hour, stir in the carrots, shredded chicken and sprinkles of Original Blend Mrs. Dash seasoning. I also add some homemade chicken broth to give the congee more flavor. Cook for another 30 minutes and your congee is ready to eat! :)

1 cup brown rice
~5 cups water (you can always add more liquids if there isn't enough)
~1.5 cups homemade chicken broth
1 large carrot, chopped
2tsp Original Blend Mrs. Dash Seasoning
1/2 piece of cooked chicken breast, shredded
Ginger

I added some spinach to my congee later on for more vegetables. If you would like to add spinach, add it right before you eat the congee. I thought that eating brown rice congee was a nice change. I always feel healthier when I eat brown rice instead of white rice. I also grew to love the flavor of brown rice over white rice.

For more flavor, place ginger (the size of a tablespoon) into a blender and add about a tablespoon of water then blend. Pour the mixture into your congee.

This is for one serving of brown rice congee.

Source: Calorie Counter

Breakfast Burrito

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Sometimes people don't have time to make breakfast though. Even if you don't have time for breakfast, you should always grab something small to get. Here's an awesome recipe for when you have time to make breakfast. Tasty, amazing and healthy :)

I would say it took me about 30 minutes to make. I got my ingredients from Trader Joe's. They have a variety of chicken sausages in case you are not a fan of basil and sun-dried tomatoes. You can also use baked chicken if you want or any type of meat. Also, you can put any types of vegetables you like in your eggs (sometimes I put spinach and bell peppers).

Yields: 1 serving

Dice the ingredients and set aside.

1 chicken sausage
~4-6 strands of green beans

Scramble the eggs together and set aside as well.

1 egg
1 egg white

Saute the green beans and chicken sausage.

When the green beans and chicken sausage is fully cooked, pour the egg mixture on top.

Once the eggs start to pop up on the edges, flip the eggs. Set aside once they are done cooking.

Warm up the tortilla then flip it over to the other side. Place a little bit of cheese down the middle and let it warm up. Remove the tortilla from the pan.

1 whole grain flour oat and flax seeds tortilla
Sprinkles of lite cheese

Place the eggs, green beans and chicken sausage onto the tortilla. After you place the egg mixture on the tortilla, you will have extra on the side. You can eat it or save it for later.

Put some guacamole on top of the egg mix. Enjoy! :)

Nutritional facts for the burrito not including guacamole.

I was shocked to find that this recipe was pretty unhealthy but it's never too late to make a change!!

For a healthier alternative, I would suggest using baked chicken breast (minced or diced), use egg whites only, and no cheese. I will try making the alternative next time and making an update on this recipe. (315 calories - no saturated fats, very high in niacin, high in selenium, and high in vitamin B6)

Source: Calorie Counter

Simple & Healthy; Baked Chicken with Salad

I know, I know. You're probably thinking... "who needs to learn how to make a salad?!" I mean, a lot of times it is a lot easier to just go out and buy a salad. Since I started cooking a lot of my own food, I realized that a lot of meals are simple to make. I guess you could say that sometimes we just over think how difficult a task may be. I used to think that the salads I made were disgusting without sauce and I never knew how to portion the toppings. To be honest though, I realized all the amount of  ingredients you include in your salad or any meal in general is all based on preference. For example, my boyfriend likes his food saltier than I do. He likes to put sauce in his salads but I don't. What's the point of a salad though if you decide to put a large amount of, say ranch, on your salad? Exactly, there is no point. I mean, I would assume that people want to eat salads as a healthy meal. There is nothing healthy about ranch dressing. Another point I want to make is that there is no point in going out and paying $10-20 for a salad when you can make more than just one plate of salad with that amount of money.

Here is a simple and healthy salad. I prepared the chicken last night. This morning it took me less than 15 minutes to put my salad together and it is DELICIOUS! :)

You may choose to cook the chicken the night before or the same day you make your salad. I usually cook about 4 pieces of chicken breast so it will last me several meals.

Preheat your oven at 350 F degrees. Line a large pan with aluminium foil then place the chicken breast inside the pan. Cover the pan with aluminium foil and poke holes into it with a fork. Place the pan into the oven and bake for 45-55 minutes.

4 pieces of chicken breast (defrosted)

I cooked my chicken for another 10 minutes to ensure it was cooked thoroughly.

You can add any toppings on your salad. This combination is one of my recent favorites.

2 handfuls of spring mix, sometimes I add some romaine lettuce to the mix.
Sliced red onions (depends on how much onion you like)
3 scoops of canned corn
1/2 diced roma tomatoes

My boyfriend's parents got a big case of canned corn at Costco for about $8. I love putting corn in my salad because it makes my salads colorful and gives it that sweet flavor. You can basically add whatever you like into your salad. As long as you have cooked chicken, it will take less than 15 minutes for a delicious and healthy meal! :)

Below are other combinations of salads that have made.

Simple Caesar salad. It cost $5 at Costco but sometimes it cost more depending on the restaurant. This salad has romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, baked chicken breast and a little bit of Parmesan cheese. 

If you must have salad dressing, I would suggest using Trader Ming's salad dressing (you can find it at Trader Joe's).

Also, you can try using flavored olive oil. The basil flavored olive oil is amazing :) Just give the salad a quick drizzle (a little goes a long way)! You can also use balsamic vinegar with olive oil.